By Alex Labidou

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Jan 18, 2013 11:13:00 AM

The future Hall of Famer took in a Tottenham Hotspur practice before the New York Knicks took on the Detroit Pistons in London on Thursday.

Prior to the New York Knicks resounding 102-87 victory over the Detroit Pistons in London's O2 Arena, star guard Jason Kidd decided to take in the site of another top sports team in action - Tottenham Hotspur.

The future NBA Hall of Famer attended Spurs training in their new multimillion dollar facility just outside of London and had nothing but praise for Tottenham.

"I think training's been great. This is football at its best," Kidd told the club's official website. "The facilities here are amazing and you have some of the best players in the world here."

Kidd admitted that he was so impressed with the team's training methods that he was a bit envious and joked that he wishes he could change sports

"It makes our facility look like we need to redo it. I think you guys have a beautiful home here. It makes me want to be a soccer player," Kidd said.

Similar to soccer's growth in the United States, several American sports are beginning to grow in popularity in the United Kingdom. Both the NFL and NBA have played games in London to huge sellout crowds.

"I think London... here [in England] is a big sports country," Kidd explained. "They love sports and when we have an opportunity, we like to watch their sports when you talk about football. But it's just a great opportunity to showcase basketball, especially with sports fans here in London."

While Kidd's standing as soccer fan is relatively new, one of his top rivals at point guard is a long standing supporter. Steve Nash is a lifelong Spurs fan and a part-owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps. Kidd praised Nash and pointed out that Spurs should feel lucky to have a big supporter back in the States.

"It is very true, Steve is a competitor. He's one of the best players to ever play the game of basketball but he's also a pretty good soccer player," Kidd said. "He's a big fan and he's always trying to bring people around and get into soccer. You guys have a good guy as a Tottenham fan, he's one of the best.

"You guys have the best cheerleader or fan to support that in the States."Follow ALEX LABIDOU on